E, n.1
Etymology: the fifth letter of the Roman alphabet, represents historically the Semitic ?, which originally expressed a sound resembling that of h, but was adopted by the Greeks (and from them by the Romans) as a vowel, the pronunciation of which probably varied from the ‘mid-front’ /e/ to the ‘low front’ /ɛ/ vowels of Bell's system. In the Roman, as in the earliest Greek alphabet, the letter represented the long as well as the short quantity of the vowel. There are reasons for believing that in Old English the short e had two sounds, possibly /e/ and /ɛ/; the Old English long é seems to have been sounded approximately as /eː/. The sounds now expressed by E in standard English are the following:1. /iː/in be/biː/2. /ɪə/in here/hɪə(r)/3. /ɛə/in there/ðɛə(r)/4. /iː/, /ɪ/in acme/ˈækmiː/, /ˈækmɪ/5. /ɛ/in bed/bɛd/6. /ɜː/in alert/əˈlɜːt/ E is also the first element in many vowel-digraphs, most of which have more than one pronunciation. The cases in which E is silent are very numerous.
Exceptional sounds are (7) /eɪ/ in eh!, (8) /ɪ/ in England, English, and (9) /ɑː/ occurring before r in clerk, sergeant, and in various proper names, as Berkeley, Hertford. In unaccented syllables it has the obscure sounds: 10. /ɪ/in remain /rɪˈmein/, added /ˈædɪd/11. /ə/in moment /ˈməʊmənt/, father /ˈfɑːðə(r)/12. the mere voice-glide /ə/as in sadden /ˈsæd(ə)n/ In foreign words not fully naturalized certain other sounds occur: the French en occas. retains in English use its two sounds of /ɑ̃/ and /æ̃/, as in ennui /ɑ̃nyi/, bon-chretien /bɔ̃kretjæ̃/; the French unaccented e preserves the sound of /ə/ in words like eau-de-vie /o də vi/; and the French é that of /e/ in a few words, as café /kafe/.
(1) Ea is usually sounded /iː/, as in bead /biːd/; exceptionally as /eɪ/ in break , great , steak . It frequently represents /ɛ/ in cases where that sound descends from a long vowel or diphthong, either original, as in thread /θrɛd/, dead /dɛd/, or acquired in Middle English through position, as in stead /stɛd/. When followed by r it has the sounds of /ɪə/ as in ear /ɪə(r)/, of /ɛə/ as in pear /pɛə(r)/, and of /ɜː/ as in earth /ɜːθ/, /ɑː/ as in heart /hɑːt/. In final unaccented syllables it sometimes becomes /ɪ/ as in guinea /ˈɡɪnɪ/. (2) Eau , found only in words of French origin, is sounded /juː/ in beauty and its derivatives, and /iː/ in a few proper names, as Beauchamp /ˈbiːtʃəm/; in all other cases it is /əʊ/ or /o/, as in bureau /ˈbjuːrəʊ/, rouleau /rulo/. (3) Ee has the sound of /iː/ as in feel /fiːl/, and before r that of /ɪə/, as in peer /pɪə(r)/. In been many persons sound it as /ɪ/; it has also this sound in breeches /ˈbrɪtʃɪz/, coffee /ˈkɒfɪ/. (4) Ei has the sound of /iː/ chiefly in the combination cei , as in receive ; also in teil , and in Scots words, as teind . In other cases its usual sound is /eɪ/, as in vein . In either , neither , it is variously sounded /iː/ and /aɪ/. In a few words, on account of German or Greek etymology, it is pronounced /aɪ/, as in eider-down , ophicleide . In unaccented final syllables it becomes /ɪ/, as in foreign /ˈfɒrɪn/, sovereign . (5) Eo (as a digraph) is sounded /iː/ in people , /ɛ/ in leopard , and /əʊ/ in yeoman . (6) Eu has the sound of /juː/, and when followed by r that of /jʊə/, as in euphony , Europe . (After l or r the first element in these diphthongs is wholly or partially obscured: see L n., R n.) In a few French words not fully naturalized eu retains its original sounds /œ/ and /ø/. (7) Ew has the sound of /juː/, as in new /njuː/, Matthew. (8) Ey is sounded /iː/ in key, and /eɪ/ in obey, they, prey; it occurs most frequently in unaccented final syllables, with the sound /ɪ/, as in donkey /ˈdɒŋkɪ/, money. In eye and its derivatives and compounds it is pronounced /aɪ/.
The rule may be laid down that (except in foreign words not fully naturalized as to form) a final e is never sounded when there is another vowel in the word. The silent e is due primarily to the Middle English obscure -e ( < Old English a, e, o, u, or < French e), which continued to be written long after it ceased to be sounded. In imitation of the cases in which the silent e had this historical justification, it was in 16th cent. very frequently added to almost all words ending phonetically with a cons.; when the preceding vowel was short and accented, the final cons. was doubled, as in bludde, bedde for blood, bed; a mute e after a single consonant implied that the preceding vowel was long. In present spelling the use of silent e has been greatly narrowed, but it is retained in the following cases: (1) When it serves to indicate that the vowel in the syllable is long; e.g. in wine/waɪn/ compared with win /wɪn/, paste /peɪst/ compared with past /pɑːst//pæst/. When the quantity of the vowel is already shown by the use of a digraph, the e is no longer added, e.g. in soon, mean (in 16th cent. often soone, meane), unless the final cons. is s, z, or the voiced th /ð/, as in house, breeze, sheathe. (2) When a word ends phonetically with certain consonants which custom does not permit to be written in a final position, as v, and l, r after consonants. (3) Where the silent e affects the pronunciation of a preceding c or g. (4) After s or z preceded by a cons., as in purse, pulse, corpse, bronze, furze. (5) In words like infinite, rapine, etc., where the vowel of the final syllable has become short since the establishment of the existing rules of spelling; and in words adopted < French. (6) In some anomalous cases of diverse origin, as are, were, come, done, gone, some, one, none. The silent e is omitted before flexional suffixes beginning with a vowel, as in moving; before -able it has been usually retained, as in moveable, loveable, unmistakeable, though many writers now prefer to omit it, esp. when the verb is a polysyllable. Before suffixes beginning with a cons. the mute e is nearly always written; in abridgment, acknowledgment, fledgling, judgment, nursling, it is commonly omitted, but usage is divided except in the last instance; in this Dictionary the e is retained after dg, in accordance with general English analogies.
I. The following are illustrations of the literary use of the letter:
1.
a. simply.
c1000 Ælfric Gram.
(1880)
6
Þa syx ongynnað of ðam stæfe e.
1668 O. Price in A. J. Ellis On Early Eng. Pronunc.
(1867)
i. iii. 81
E soundes like, ee, in be, euen, euening, England, English, etc.
1865 C. M. Yonge Clever Woman I. x. 249
I can very easily alter the L into an E.
c1000—1865(Hide quotations)
b. as representing the sound of which it is the usual symbol.
1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 485
If þe child a woman be, When it es born it says ‘e, e’..þe first letter..of Eve.
1340—1340(Hide quotations)
II. Used as a symbol, with reference to its place (5th) in the alphabet, or (2nd) in the series of vowels; also on various other grounds.
3. in Music. E is the name of the 3rd note of the diatonic scale of C major, corresponding to mi in the Sol-fa notation. Also the scale or key which has that note for its tonic.
1848 E. F. Rimbault First Bk. Pianoforte 54
Every black key except B-flat and E-flat.
18.. As it was Written 229
A leap of the bow and fingers back to A and E.
1848—18..(Hide quotations)
5. Naut. E. The second class of rating on Lloyd's books for the comparative excellence of merchant ships. (Adm. Smyth.)
6. Math. The lower-case e or e denotes:
a. The quantity 2·71828.., the base of Napier's system of logarithms.
b. The eccentricity n. of a conic.
1848 G. Salmon Treat. Conic Sections x. 136
The quantity e being called the eccentricity of the hyperbola.
1873 B. Williamson Elem. Treat. Differential Calculus i. 21
The system [of logarithms] whose base is e.
1848—1873(Hide quotations)
7. in Dynamics: e is the symbol of the coefficient of restitution or of elasticity.
1856 P. G. Tait & W. J. Steele Dynamics of Particle
(1871)
x. 344
Let e be the coefficient of restitution.
1856—1856(Hide quotations)
8. in Electricity. e stands for the electro-motive force of a single cell, E for the sum of such forces.
1885 S. P. Thompson Elem. Lessons Electr. & Magn. §345.
1885—1885(Hide quotations)
9. in Chem. E represents the element Erbium.
10. E-layer, E-region: a stratum in the ionosphere, above the D-layer, that reflects medium frequency radiation; = Heaviside layer at Heaviside n.
1930 Appleton & Ratcliffe in Proc. Royal Soc. A. 128 155
We therefore attribute the result of the small variation of the reflection coefficient with distance, to the influence of an absorbing zone (D region) of ionisation situated below the region (E region) in which the main bending takes place.
1935 Nature 8 June 953/2
The appearance of echoes from the D layer is closely connected with the weakening of echoes from the E layer.
1955 Sci. Amer. Sept. 128/2
The E layer (extending from about 60 to 90 miles above the earth's surface).
1959 R. D. Davies & H. P. Palmer Radio Stud. Universe ix. 162
Far below the F-region is the E-region which is centred at a height of 110 km.
1930—1959(Hide quotations)
11. E-type, a type of ‘Jaguar’ sports-car.
1961 Autocar 17 Mar. 403/2
Independent rear suspension is still a rarity on British cars, and Jaguar have not introduced it on the E-type without a great deal of investigation.
1964 ‘J. Welcome’ Hard to Handle v. 56
The note of the ‘E’ type's exhaust.
1967 L. Deighton Expensive Place v. 41
On the corner an E-type was parked.
1961—1967(Hide quotations)
12.
a. e, a symbol used chiefly on the packaging of certain foodstuffs and other products to indicate that they comply with relevant EEC directives; spec. printed with the indication of weight or volume, and stating the average contained; also (cap.) on washing-powder packs, etc.; also E-pack.
1972 tr. EEC Directive 71/316 in European Communities Secondary Legislation
(Foreign & Commonwealth Office)
xii. 301
The final ratification mark is composed of two stamps: (a) the first consists of the small letter ‘e’ containing:—in the top half, the capital letter indicating the State where the primary examination takes place..in the lower half, the number indicating the examining agent or office; [etc.].
1975 Monthly Rev. Inst. Trading Standards Mar. 50/1
The E.3 cartons will start to replace Giant sizes in January, the E.2 replaces Large sizes from February and the conversion from Regular to E.1 and Family to E.5 will be completed in June.
1975 Measuring Instruments (EEC Requirements) Regulations No. 1173. Schedule 1 para. 5
The mark of EEC initial verification is composed of two stamps... The first stamp consists of a letter ‘e’.
1975 Grocer 8 Mar. 7
The Soap and Detergent Industry Association have issued amended amounts for their packed weights of Euro-size (E-packs) products.
1984 A. Scrivener in Halsbury's Laws Eng.
(ed. 4)
L. ¶39
The EEC mark..is a lower case letter ‘e’.
1972—1984(Hide quotations)
b. E number, a code number preceded by the letter E, assigned to an additive that accords with EEC Food Additive directives, and listed as an ingredient on the packaging of food or drink; also, an E number itself, as E200, etc.
1977 Grocer 31 Dec. 31/3
Other labelling disagreement stems from EEC Commission recommendations that all additives be declared by their name or by their ‘E’ number (an ‘E’ number means the additive has been approved).
1981 Statutory Instruments 1980 III. ii. 6105
Lecithins E322..Alginic acid E400 [etc.].
1984 M. Hanssen E for Additives 9
All foods made after 1 January 1986 will (except for flavourings) have to have the ‘E’ number or the actual name in the list of ingredients.
1986 Financial Times 7 June (Suppl.) p. xiv/8
A merry dance of dietary fibre, polyunsaturates and E-numbers.
1977—1986(Hide quotations)
Initialisms
E. n. = various proper names, as Edward, Ellen; = Engineer(s) in C.E. n. at C n. Initialisms 3 and RE n. at R n. Initialisms 2.
E. n. = East, a point of the compass.
E.A. n. (also E/A) enemy aircraft.
1916 T. E. Lawrence Lett.
(1938)
214
The feed-block of one of the E.A. German Maxims.
1942 ‘B. J. Ellan’ Spitfire! 42
A faint silhouette even if the E/A was not actually illuminated.
1916—1942(Hide quotations)
E.A.M. n. Ethnikon Apeleutherotikon Metopon ([Greek] National Liberation Front).
1944 Time 16 Oct. 45/3
The Greek resistance forces wore the insignia of E.A.M. (left-wing National Liberation Front) or E.L.A.S. (E.A.M.'s fighting arm).
1945 Spectator 21 Sept. 265/1
There were those..who regarded E.A.M. as little more than a group of unscrupulous adventurers who were employing the brigand bands of E.L.A.S. to seize power by violent means.
1966 P. P. Argenti Occup. Chios by Germans vi. 61
The Communist E.A.M. (Ἐθνικὸν Ἀπελευθερωτικὸν Μέτωπον, i.e. National Freedom Front).
1944—1966(Hide quotations)
E.B.S. n. emergency bed service.
E.C. n. European Community.
1973 Business Week 1 Dec. 37/1
(heading)
Europe: The EC feud over nuclear fuel.
1980 Daily Tel. 6 Dec. 18
The abbreviation EEC is now taboo...‘The European Community’ is the Council [of Ministers]'s approved designation, with the abbreviation EC.
1986 Daily Tel. 4 Jan. 12/6
It's the EC now, the European Community, a syntactical change intended to heighten our feeling of Europeanness.
1973—1986(Hide quotations)
E.C.G. n. electrocardiogram.
1952 Electronic Engin. 24 102
The electrical output of the heart, which when recorded is termed the electrocardiogram or E.C.G.
1962 Lancet 5 May 946/2
The first three cases show that ST and T-wave depression can occur in the left chest leads of E.C.G.s in acute pulmonary embolism... The reasons for these E.C.G. changes are debatable.
1952—1962(Hide quotations)
E.C.T. n. electro-convulsive therapy.
1952 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. Feb. 38
If E.C.T. blots out or breaks up the depressive pattern.
1958 A. Wilson Middle Age of Mrs Eliot ii. 251
I hope they don't give your friend E.C.T. If it's a very expensive place they probably won't. But at the hospitals they do.
1952—1958(Hide quotations)
ECU n. (also ecu) [after French écu : see écu n.] European Currency Unit.
1970 Guardian 28 May 4/1
M. Rey, president of the EEC Commission in Brussels, yesterday forecast the écu (crown) as the name of the future European currency... [It] would..stand for ‘European Currency Unit’.
1972 Times 5 Jan. 15/2
The European currency unit, the Ecu, failed to make an impact.
1983 Times 2 July 6/6
The European Commission yesterday agreed a supplementary budget for this year which would use up every single European currency unit (ECU) available to the EEC budget.
1983 Times 2 July 6/6
The proposed budget totals 2,380m ecus.
1970—1983(Hide quotations)
E.D.C. n. European Defence Community.
1952 Times 22 May 5/4
(heading)
E.D.C. talks end in Paris.
1954 Encounter Nov. 51/1
And so [certain elements of the Right] were led to oppose EDC, which was conceived precisely in order to safeguard France against the extreme risks of German rearmament pure and simple.
1952—1954(Hide quotations)
E.D.D. n. English Dialect Dictionary.
E.D.P. n. (also e.d.p.) electronic data processing.
1960 Electronic Engin. 32 153/2
In the early days of business e.d.p. it was not unusual for the manufacturer's programmers and analysts to guide, control, and even supplement the efforts of the user's personnel.
1960 Times Rev. Industry Dec. 3/1
Electronic data processing (E.D.P.).
1960—1960(Hide quotations)
E.D.S. n. English Dialect Society.
1873 N. & Q. 4th Ser. XII. 342/1
Walter W. Skeat, Hon. Sec. E.D.S.
1873—1873(Hide quotations)
EDTA n. ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid; also, ethylenediamine tetra-acetate.
[1950 Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol. & Med. 74 415/1
Ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (E.D.T.A.A.).]
1951 Plant Physiol. XXVI. 542
The use of EDTA was tested in mass culture conditions under daylight illumination in the greenhouse.
1959 Sci. News 52 7
The degree of hardness of water..could be measured precisely by an elegant titration with an organic compound then mainly used as a textile auxiliary, ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (usually abbreviated to EDTA).
1964 L. C. Martin Clin. Endocrinol.
(ed. 4)
iv. 158
Edetic acid (ethylenediamine-tetra-acetic acid, EDTA) is a chelating agent which reduces the amount of ionized calcium in the blood.
1966 C. S. G. Phillips & R. J. P. Williams Inorg. Chem. II. xx. 82
For the complexes of ethylenediaminetetraacetate, EDTA4−.., the stability orders are III a > II a > I a, [etc.].
1977 Time 31 Jan. 42/1
The grime was removed with cotton swabs wet with an aqueous solution called E.D.T.A.
1951—1977(Hide quotations)
E.E. n. Early English (see Early English adj. at early adj. and n. Special uses 2).
1877 G. F. Chambers Handbk. Sussex 26
The Ch...is chiefly Perpendicular, with an E.E. tower.
1966 Listener 3 Feb. 166/2
Things like that little E.E. job in Palermo, now closed, could not possibly be mistaken for any Sicilian place of worship.
1877—1966(Hide quotations)
E.E. n. Comm. = errors excepted.
E. & O.E. n. Comm. = errors and omissions excepted.
E.E.C. n. European Economic Community.
1958 Times Rev. Industry July 75/1
Exchanges with the other members of E.E.C. accounted for 27 per cent. of imports.
1961 Listener 10 Aug. 196/2
The preferences British goods enjoyed on the Australian market would disappear if Britain joined E.E.C.
1969 Times 27 Jan. 10/6
Union thinking..is strongly against exchanging present guaranteed prices for any ‘target’ prices on the E.E.C. model.
1958—1969(Hide quotations)
E.E.G. n. electro-encephalogram (see electro- comb. form).
E.E.T.S. n. Early English Text Society.
1867 W. W. Skeat Langland's Piers Plowman p. xii
My tract published for the E.E.T.S. in 1866.
1891 Schick Lydgate's Temple of Glas p. xii
Dr. Erdmann's forthcoming edition of the Story of Thebes, for the E.E.T.S.
1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 17 Jan. 35/1
Few E.E.T.S. introductions can show such grace, style and wit.
1867—1958(Hide quotations)
EFL n. English as a foreign language; cf. TEFL n., TOEFL n. at T n. Initialisms 1a.
1965 Language Learning XV. 131
Future plans are to hire regularly trained EFL teachers for part of the staff.
1986 Times Educ. Suppl. 9 May 109/2
(advt.)
Qualified/Experienced E.F.L. Teachers required for Summer Courses.
1965—1986(Hide quotations)
E.F.T.A. n. (see Efta n. as a main entry).
e.g. adv. = exempli gratia adv., for the sake of example.
1682 R. Baxter Answer to Mr. Dodwell 226
What if they hold, e.g. Arrianism, Socinianism, Manichisme, &c... Are they not Heretical?
1818 T. Moore Fudge Family in Paris
(ed. 5)
106
Like him, Tiberius loved his joke, On matters, too, where few can bear one; E.g. a man, cut up, or broke Upon the wheel—a devilish fair one!
1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues I. 110
In this or that passage—e.g. in the explanation of good as pleasure.
1892 J. Wright Primer Gothic Lang. viii. 42
In the former case they are said to be voiced (e.g. the mediæ), and in the latter voiceless (e.g. the tenues).
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xvii. [Ithaca] 668
Requisite farming implements, e. g., an end-to-end churn.
1970 J. M. Dodgson Place-names Cheshire I. p. xlv
Sources whose dates cannot be fixed to a particular year are dated by century (e.g. 12, 13 etc.), by regnal year (e.g. E1, H2 etc.) or a range of years (e.g. 1189–1217).
1682—1970(Hide quotations)
E.H.P. n. effective (or electrical) horse-power.
1920 Conquest June 360/1
An average of about £50 per E.H.P. at power house must be allowed.
1920—1920(Hide quotations)
E.H.T. n. extra high tension.
1948 Electronic Engin. 20 160
The circuit..derives its H.T. from the E.H.T. supply which feeds the cathode ray tube.
1948—1948(Hide quotations)
E.I. n. East India.
E.I.C. n. East India(n) Company.
1814 Statutes 54 Geo. III Index 2/2
E.I. Co... Cap. xxxiv. The East India Company.
1898 J. J. M. Innes Sir H. Lawrence 103
The E.I. Board.
1814—1898(Hide quotations)
E.L.A.S. n. Ethnikos (or Ellinikos) Laikos Apeleutherotikos Stratos (National (or Greek) Popular Liberation Army).
1944 [see E.A.M. n.].
1945 W. S. Churchill Victory
(1946)
7
I have been told that I made a mistake in under-rating the power of the Communist-directed E.L.A.S.
1945 [see E.A.M. n.].
1966 P. P. Argenti Occup. Chios by Germans vi. 67
E.L.A.S. (Ἐθνικὸς Λαῖκὸς Ἀπελευθερωτικὸς Στρατός, i.e. National Popular Liberation Army).
1944—1966(Hide quotations)
E.L.D.O. n. (see quot. 1962).
1962 Daily Tel. 22 Feb. 24/4
ESRO is independent of the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO),..which seeks European support for converting Britain's abandoned Blue Streak defence rocket into a satellite launcher.
1962—1962(Hide quotations)
ELT n. English language teaching.
1967
(title)
E.L.T. Selections..Articles from the journal English Language Teaching.
1969 Eng. Lang. Teaching Oct. 63
Experimental summer school on ELT methods in northern Nigeria.
1977 P. Strevens New Orientations Teaching Eng. v. 56
The principal British cover term is English language teaching (ELT), which normally excludes English as the mother tongue.
1967—1977(Hide quotations)
E.M. n. = Earl Marshal.
E.M.F. n. (also e.m.f.) electromotive force.
1881 Heaviside in Jrnl. Soc. Telegr. Engineers & Electricians 10 271
The phase of the current is behind that of the E.M.F.
1905 E. B. Titchener Exper. Psych. II. 120
The practical unit of E.M.F...is the volt.
1919 J. A. Fleming Thermionic Valve vii. 225
The same plate battery may be used to provide E.M.F. in the plate circuits of all the valves.
1881—1919(Hide quotations)
EMP n. electromagnetic pulse (as emitted by an atmospheric nuclear explosion).
1963 N.Y. Times 26 July 10/8
The so-called ‘EMP’ or electromagnetic pulse, induced by a major explosion has widespread effects.
1983 Listener 15 Sept. 7/2
EMP would also, en passant, knock out huge numbers of satellites.
1963—1983(Hide quotations)
E.N.I.A.C. n. also eniac (see quots.).
1946 N.Y. Times 15 Feb. 1/7
The Eniac, known more formally as ‘the electronic numerical integrator and computer’, has not a single moving mechanical part.
1946 Lancet 30 Nov. 795/1
Another war secret now disclosed is an electrical calculating machine which has been built in the United States and has been called an ‘electronic brain’, or more accurately an Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer—ENIAC.
1947 Ann. Reg. 1946 392
The one [electronic calculating machine] which has gained most publicity is the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Automatic Calculator (E.N.I.A.C.).
1946—1947(Hide quotations)
E.N.S.A. n. (see Ensa n. as a main entry).
E.N.T. n. ear, nose, and throat.
1944 Dorland's Med. Dict. 503/2
E.N.T. Abbreviation for ear, nose and throat.
1952 ‘R. Gordon’ Doctor in House xiv. 154
The E.N.T. clinic was busy..for the London atmosphere silted up patients' sinuses and roughened their lungs.
1944—1952(Hide quotations)
E.P. n. electro-plate(d).
c1895 Catal. R.S. Rowell, Oxford 43
Best E.P. Entrée Dish 50/-.
c1895—c1895(Hide quotations)
E.P. n. extended-play (record) (see quot. 1962).
1954 Gramophone May 491/2
The second batch of EPs to appear.
1954 Gramophone Sept. 165/2
The other side of the new EP.
1954 Gramophone Sept. 165/2
Two of them..now make an EP appearance.
1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio 252
E.P. (extended play) record, a 45 rpm 7-inch fine groove record which may carry more material than a coarse-groove 10 or 12-inch 78.
1954—1962(Hide quotations)
E.P.A. n. (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency.
1970 Time 23 Nov. 42/3
When EPA opens for business on Dec. 2, it will take over 15 component parts of five different (and often conflicting) agencies.
1976 N.Y. Times 11 Dec. 1/3
(heading)
E.P.A. faults 208,000 cars.
1984 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 19 Aug. 14/3
She has done more for the environment today than during her entire tenure at E.P.A.
1970—1984(Hide quotations)
EPG n. Eminent Persons Group.
1986 Guardian 13 May 12/2
The return to South Africa this week of the Commonwealth ‘Eminent Persons Group’ (EPG) ought to remind Pretoria that the outside world has not forgotten apartheid.
1986 Times 20 May 1/7
The Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group (EPG), which is trying to mediate between Pretoria and the ANC, had left Lusaka..for Cape Town.
1986—1986(Hide quotations)
E.P.N.S. n. electro-plated nickel silver.
1897 Illustr. Price List (Edward Morrison, Parsonstown) 22
E.P.N.S. Preserve Dish with Glass, 9/-. E.P. Butter with Glass, 3/6.
1949 Canning Handbk. Electro-Plating
(ed. 16)
xxi. 338
For best quality hotel plate and E.P.N.S. spoons and forks it is customary to give a deposit of 0.002 inch in thickness.
1970 Daily Tel. 24 Apr. (Colour Suppl.) 3/2
If he's after antiques you know he's an amateur if he takes EPNS stuff and reproduction porcelain and ignores the real thing.
1897—1970(Hide quotations)
EPOS n. electronic point of sale; cf. POS n. at P n. Initialisms.
1980 Which Computer? June 37
We look briefly at EPOS 80, a conference and exhibition this month in Kensington which is devoted to POS systems and applications.
1985 Times 6 Aug. 23/8
Electronic point of sale (EPOS) systems..link cash registers to larger computers for data processing.
1980—1985(Hide quotations)
E.P.T. n. excess profits tax.
1940 Economist 6 Jan. 3/1
There is the unknown yield of E.P.T.
1940—1940(Hide quotations)
E.P.U. n. European Payments Union.
1950 Times 18 Sept. (Suppl.) p. iv/5
A number of European countries,..might not have felt justified in exposing themselves to the inevitable risks of E.P.U.
1950—1950(Hide quotations)
ER n. (U.S.) emergency room.
1965 Acronyms & Initialisms Dict.
(Gale Research Co.)
266
ER, Emergency Room (Medicine).
1976 N.Y. Times Mag. 23 May 80
Deborah Scher is waiting in the ER. A huddle of nurses moves to the side as Basil wheels the stretcher in.
1965—1976(Hide quotations)
E.R.A. n. (Baseball) earned run average.
1949 P. Cummings Dict. Sports 121/2
Earned run average... Abbreviation: ERA.
1975 New Yorker 23 June 46/2
At contract-renewal time, earned-run averages below 3.30 are invariably mentioned by pitchers; an E.R.A. close to or above the 4.00 level will always be brought up by management.
1949—1975(Hide quotations)
ERA n. (U.S.) Equal Rights Amendment.
1973 Americana Ann. 747/2
Acting 32 minutes after the vote, Hawaii became the first state to ratify ERA.
1981 Gossip (Holiday Special) 52/3
How would you explain your position on the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) and feminism—your personal view?
1973—1981(Hide quotations)
ESL n. English as a second language; cf. TESL n. at T n. Initialisms 1a.
1967 C. C. Cate in Calif. Jrnl. Educ. Research XVIII. 184
(title)
Test behaviour of ESL students.
1985 Toronto Sun 10 Oct. 55/1
Volunteers are needed to conduct tours of the hospital for schoolchildren and pupils of E.S.L. classes.
1967—1985(Hide quotations)
E.S.N. n. (also e.s.n.) educationally subnormal.
1955 Special Schools Jrnl. June 13/2
I have a strong conviction that Mary is not E.S.N. at all. On the orthodox tests of intelligence she certainly gains a score which puts her in the upper level of the E.S.N. group.
1960 Where? 3 13/2
Educationally Subnormal (ESN), an expression used to describe children whose I.Q. is between about 55 and about 80.
1955—1960(Hide quotations)
ESP n. English for special (or specific) purposes.
1976 Studies in Sci. Educ. (Univ. Leeds) III. 63
ESP requires that teachers of English should define the aims of each language course with great precision, and devise teaching syllabuses and materials that lead only to those ends.
1977 P. Strevens New Orientations Teaching Eng. viii. 89
‘English for Special Purposes’ (ESP)..is generally used in circumstances in which the command of English being imparted relates to a specific job, or subject, or purpose.
1982 Eng. World-wide 3 i. 92
Lines of interest and research..have converged in the attention currently being paid to ESP.
1976—1982(Hide quotations)
E.S.P. n. extra-sensory perception (see extra-sensory adj.).
E.S.R. n. (also e.s.r.) electron spin resonance.
1955 Jrnl. Chem. Physics 23 2441/2
The other two dichloro compounds each give a pair of additional ESR lines.
1972 R. A. Jackson Mechanism iv. 53
Spectroscopic techniques, particularly n.m.r., e.s.r., u.v., and mass spectroscopy may be used to provide evidence for intermediates.
1976 Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 30 458
The molecular environments within cell membranes have been studied with the use of..electron spin resonance (ESR).
1955—1976(Hide quotations)
E.S.R.O. n. (see quot. 1961).
1961 Engineering 21 July 71/1
In the scientific field there would be close cooperation with the proposed European Space Research Organization (E.S.R.O.).
1968 Times 19 Nov. 6/8
Britain is not getting value for money from the European Space Research Organization (Esro).
1961—1968(Hide quotations)
E.S.T. n. Eastern Standard Time (in the eastern parts of the U.S and Canada).
1937 Printers Ink Monthly Apr. 53/1
EST, a term used by NBC to denote Eastern Standard Time.
1966 Punch 4 May 658/2
The National Broadcasting Company found a sponsor willing to put the British General Election up on prime time (9.30 EST to be precise).
1937—1966(Hide quotations)
E.S.T. n. electro-shock (or electric shock) treatment (see electro- comb. form).
1957 S. H. Kraines Mental Depressions xvi. 456
Many names are given to this technique and its modifications: electric shock therapy (E.S.T.), shock therapy (S.T.), electrocoma (E.C.), electric treatments (E.T.), electroconvulsive therapy (E.C.T.), [etc.].
1957 S. H. Kraines Mental Depressions xvi. 456
In the Manic-Depressive Illness, E.S.T. has proved to be of value in shortening the illness.
1969 L. L'Abate in C. M. Franks Behavior Therapy iii. xiv. 480
More concrete mediators in general psychiatric practice would be drugs, EST, and allied ancillary practices.
1957—1969(Hide quotations)
E.S.U. n. (also e.s.u.) electrostatic unit (see electrostatic adj.).
ET n. extra-terrestrial (being); popularized by the film of this name (1982).
1957 ‘T. Sturgeon’ Thunder & Roses 189
The xenologists and e-t mineralogists who were crazy enough to work out there.
1982 Nature 23 Sept. 377/1
A pop-eyed, stick-figured ET..looks out from the cover of The Biology of Human Conduct.
1983 Nature 27 Jan. 291/1
(heading)
Can honeycomb weathering be ET?
1957—1983(Hide quotations)
E.T.A. n. estimated time of arrival.
1939 Flight 26 Oct. 335/1
A quickly estimated E.T.A., too, will narrow down the area of search if the next outstanding landmark fails to turn up.
1958 ‘N. Shute’ Rainbow & Rose vi. 231
E.T.A. is seven-fifteen.
1939—1958(Hide quotations)
E.T.A. n. /ˈɛtə/ [Basque, acronym < the initial letters of Euzkadi ta Azkatasuna Basque Homeland and Liberty] the name of a Basque separatist organization formed in 1959.
1963 Times 12 Jan. 6/5
All are said to be members of a movement known as E.T.A., which stands for Euzkadi ta Azkatasuna (Basque country and liberty).
1973 Times 18 Jan. 1/2
ETA..sources in Biarritz said they could not say what would happen to the industrialist.
1980 Guardian Weekly 16 Mar. 10
In an election which seems to have been fair, both the Basque extremist organisation ETA and the Spanish national police kept off the streets.
1963—1980(Hide quotations)
E.T.D. n. estimated time of departure.
1939 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 43 85
Three hours before the E.T.D. of the aircraft.
1939—1939(Hide quotations)
e.V. n. (also eV) electron volt.
E.V.A. n. extravehicular activity (activity outside a space-craft).
1965 Newsweek 14 June 30/3
White climbed into a new ‘extravehicular activity’ (EVA) suit.
1969 Daily Tel. 24 Feb. 21/3
In connection with the space-walk, Schweikart who ‘will go Eva’ (extra-vehicular activity) said ‘I am looking forward to it’.
1965—1969(Hide quotations)
Draft additions 1993
a. The hallucinogenic drug Ecstasy (see ecstasy n. 5). slang.
1985 Face Oct. 89/3
In June this year you could have walked in and bought Ecstasy, or ‘E’ over the counter.
1988 Observer 28 Aug. 3/1
Ecstasy, known as ‘E’ in the clubs, is currently on sale at £20–£25 a tablet.
1989 Blitz Dec. 47/2
In Manchester a teenage girl died after a tainted dose of E allegedly invaded her lymph system and caused her body weight to double in the space of two or three hours.
1990 New Musical Express 30 June 11/5
‘People will dance to anything now,’ muses Mal. ‘I blame the E meself!’
1985—1990(Hide quotations)
b.
EAROM n. (Computing) electrically alterable read-only memory.
1972 WESCON Technical Papers XVI. iv/ii. 4–1/1
The flexibility of computers using large amounts of ROM is greatly increased if EAROM's are used, since they need no longer be dedicated to a single purpose.
1983 Austral. Personal Computer Oct. 116/2
EAROMs (electrically alterable ROMs) are more likely to succeed, once they can be produced..in versions which require a lot less power than existing ones.
1972—1983(Hide quotations)
EB adj. [initials of Epstein and Barr: see Epstein–Barr virus n.] (Med.) of, pertaining to, or designating the Epstein–Barr virus; cf. EBV n.
1964 Pathologie-Biologie XII. 1234/1
The virus found in both EB1 and EB2 lymphoblasts..is in many respects similar to that in the Lucké frog neoplasm.
1966 Jrnl. Bacteriol. 91 1252/1
EB cells were subjected to various procedures which increase their death rates.
1968 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 15 Jan. 139/1
Tests on sera from 50 randomly selected college freshmen revealed EB virus antibodies in 12.
1983 J. Weatherall et al. Oxf. Textbk. Med. I. iv. 43
Patients with infectious mononucleosis due to EB virus show the same effect of polyclonal B cell activation.
1964—1983(Hide quotations)
EBV n. (Med.) Epstein–Barr virus.
1968 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 19 Aug. 595/1
A case of infectious mononucleosis with EBV antibodies.
1985 Sci. Amer. Dec. 77/2
The response of the B cells to the EBV was not affected.
1968—1985(Hide quotations)
ELF n. Eritrean Liberation Front, formed in 1958.
1968 Current Hist. Feb. 79/1
The fact that E.L.F. elements are receiving financial and other support from several Arab states has heightened Amhara anxieties.
1970 Foreign Affairs XLVIII. 543
The Liberation Front, a largely Moslem organization, was formed a full year before Ethiopia annexed Eritrea in 1962... The interesting thing about the progress of the ELF insurgency to date is its localized character.
1989 Encycl. Brit. IV. 544/3
The ELF works with the..Marxist Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF).
1968—1989(Hide quotations)
EMG n. electromyogram; also, electromyography.
1950 Electronic Engin. 24 43/1
The measurement of phenomena associated with the nervous, cardio-vascular and respiratory systems. This includes..electromyography (E.M.G.).
1964 New Scientist 12 Mar. 668/3
The EMG may be regarded as the stimulation reaching the muscle and actually precedes its mechanical response.
1972 Village Voice
(N.Y.)
1 June 26/3
(advt.)
The new summer course includes training in: 1. Alpha wave 2. Theta wave 3. E.M.G.
1989 Guitar Player Mar. 24/3
A thorough examination including EMG should be able to locate the problem.
1950—1989(Hide quotations)
EMS n. European Monetary System.
1978 Washington Post 8 July C7/5
West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt..said the new European Monetary System (EMS) would have a positive effect on the dollar.
1989 Times 4 Mar. ii. 17/5
The time is ‘very ripe indeed’ for sterling to participate fully in the EMS.
1978—1989(Hide quotations)
EMU n. also with pronunc. /ˈiːmjuː/ (also Emu) economic and monetary union (also European monetary union), spec. as a stage in the development of increased co-operation between members of the European Community.
1972 Economist 12 Feb. 62/1
European monetary union (Emu), the half-baked try at unifying the currencies of the Six (which was due to start last June but never did), is now right back at the top of the common market agenda.
1972 Times 15 Sept. 17/4
The initiative for EMU is a result of the currency crises of 1969 involving France and Germany.
1977 Times 5 Oct. 7/7
A bold..attempt to relaunch the EEC towards economic and monetary union (EMU) is being prepared by the European Commission... Regional disparities need not be an insuperable barrier to EMU, Mr Jenkins believes.
1989 Barron's 24 Apr. 68/4
She has always been against joining the European Monetary System, which many see as a halfway house on the road to European monetary union, or EMU.
1972—1989(Hide quotations)
ENSO n. also with pronunc. /ˈɛnsəʊ/ El Niño–Southern Oscillation; freq. attrib.
1984 Science 5 Oct. 50
The ENSO phenomenon is now recognized as a global event arising from large-scale interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere.
1987 Nature 14 May 96/2
In February and March 1986, the breeding success of seabirds in the Pacific was extremely low, as is typical during an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the Pacific Ocean.
1984—1987(Hide quotations)
EOF n. (Computing) end of file.
1961 Leeds & Weinberg Computer Programming Fund. v. 140
The end-of-file mark (EOF)..enables us to combine records into groups of any size up to an entire tape length.
1989 PC World Oct. 32/2
For text operations..the EOF marker signifies the end of the file.
1961—1989(Hide quotations)
EOT n. (Computing and Telecomm.) end of tape; end of transmission.
1963 Mag. Standards
(Amer. Standards Assoc.)
Aug. 236/2 (in figure)
[ASCII character set] EOT.
1966 C. J. Sippl Computer Dict. & Handbk. 112/1
EOT, end of transmission... End of tape.
1988 Your Computer
(Austral.)
May 88/3
Unfortunately, if the receiving computer misses the EOT, it will continue to wait for the next block..and, eventually, ‘time-out’.
1963—1988(Hide quotations)
EP n. extreme pressure (used in grading lubricants).
1958 R. De Sola Abbrev. Dict. 57/1
ep..extreme pressure.
1975 G. Bram & C. Downs Manuf. Technol. iii. 101
E.P. fluids are ideal for low-speed machining.
1979 Motorcycling Man. 70/2
These drives have to be lubricated by an EP (extreme pressure) gear oil.
1958—1979(Hide quotations)
EPLF n. Eritrean People's Liberation Front, formed in 1970.
1977 Arab Times 14 Dec. 3/4
The EPLF and another rebel group, the Eritrean Liberation Front, have scored dramatic battlefield successes this year.
1988 Times on Sunday
(Sydney)
28 Feb. 25/1
It is a society..where the EPLF's soft-spoken leader insists on maintaining a low profile.
1977—1988(Hide quotations)
ERM n. Exchange Rate Mechanism.
1983 European Monetary Syst. (5th Rep. House of Lords Sel. Comm. European Communities Sess. 1983–84) (H.L. Paper No. 39) p. v
ERM, Exchange rate mechanism.
1983 European Monetary Syst. (5th Rep. House of Lords Sel. Comm. European Communities Sess. 1983–84) (H.L. Paper No. 39) p. xi
The outcome of the discussions of the ERM was a system similar in principle to that of the ‘Snake’, involving a ‘parity grid’ of cross rates.
1990 Business Apr. 33/3
Consider what would happen if sterling were locked into the ERM at prevailing market exchange rates.
1983—1990(Hide quotations)
ESA n. environmentally sensitive area.
1975 Francis & Eagles Study of Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Univ. Waterloo, Ontario) 11
Some of the ESA's have already had inventories conducted by the International Biological Programme.
1987 Daily Tel. 19 Oct. 15/7
ESAs were established under the Agriculture Act of 1986 which provides for payments to be made to farmers and landowners who agree to manage their land in sympathy with the needs of wildlife and the landscape.
1975—1987(Hide quotations)
ESOL n. (orig. U.S.) English for (or to) speakers of other languages; cf. EFL n. at Initialisms above and TESOL n. at T n. Initialisms 1a.
1971 New Acronyms & Initialisms
(Gale Research Co.)
24/2
ESOL, English to Speakers of Other Languages (Program).
1981 Prospectus Inst. of Educ., London Univ., 1982–3 28/1
Cultural factors in the acquisition of English in ESOL contexts.
1990 Times Educ. Suppl. 4 May a157
(advt.)
We require a lecturer to teach in the ESOL Section.
1971—1990(Hide quotations)
Draft additions September 2012
E-plane n. Electr. the plane of the electric field in a rectangular waveguide; freq. attrib., esp. designating a T-shaped junction of two rectangular waveguides in which one is joined across the width of the other (so that the stem and crosspiece of the T are in different planes); cf. H-plane n. at H n. Additions.
1946 U.S. Patent 2,405,242 3
Directivity in the horizontal or e plane is largely controlled by the spacing of the slits.
1984 J. Dunlop & D. G. Smith Telecommunications Engin. ix. 290
In the E plane tee a wave entering port 1 divides equally into ports 2 and 3, but in phase opposition.
2003 Philos. Trans.
(Royal Soc.)
A. 362 379
A transmission of approximately 1 with the E-plane normal to the lines.
1946—2003(Hide quotations)
Draft additions December 2013
E n. = exa- comb. form .
1975 Metrologia 11 37/1
To adopt the new SI-prefixes for the multiples: peta, symbol P, for 1015, exa, symbol E, for 1018.
1997 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 94 10501/1
Protons could be accelerated beyond 100 EeV.
2009 Internat. Jrnl. Hydrogen Energy 34 31/1
In 2006, total global primary energy consumption was about 493 EJ.
1975—2009(Hide quotations)
Draft additions December 2013
EMF n. electromagnetic field.
1973 Optics Communications 9 392/1
The interaction between a two-level quantum system and a monochromatic electromagnetic field (EMF) can be treated either by the semi-classical approach or by the quantum approach.
1995 Independent 20 Oct. 18/6
The applicants argued that the Secretary of State should take a ‘precautionary’ view of the risk from EMFs and should lay down regulations to control it.
2008 Washington Post
(Nexis)
25 May lz2
The risk of leukemia increased by 69 percent for children living within 656 feet of the EMF from power lines.
1973—2008(Hide quotations)
Draft additions September 2013
EPW n. enemy prisoner of war.
1985 Authorized Abbrev.
(U.S. Dept. Army)
(Army Reg. 310–50) ii. 29/2
EPW, enemy prisoner of war.
1991 Christian Sci. Monitor 6 Feb. 6/4
US troops have documented a further 103 EPW's in their two ‘theater comps’ built to hold prisoners.
2005 J. Johnson in F. W. Kagan & C. Kubik Leaders in War iii. 50
Soldiers were..compassionate in their dealings with EPWs.
1985—2005(Hide quotations)
Draft additions December 2013
E n. [symbolic abbreviation for einsteinium n.] now disused (a symbol proposed for) the element einsteinium.Einsteinium was later given the symbol Es.
1955 A. Ghiorso et al. in Physical Rev. 1 Aug. 1049/1
We suggest for the element with the atomic number 99 the name einsteinium (symbol E) after Albert Einstein.
1958 Jrnl. Inorg. & Nucl. Chem. 6 1
The long lived state of 254E was produced by the prolonged, high intensity neutron irradiation of plutonium.
1955—1958(Hide quotations)
Draft additions June 2006
EBIT n. (also E.B.I.T., Ebit, ebit) Finance earnings before interest and tax.
1961 Jrnl. Finance 16 379
At first glance, Walter's formulation seems contrary, but the difference is due to the fact that he computes from earnings after taxes and the present author begins with E.B.I.T.
2003 Wall St. Jrnl. 15 Jan. b11/5
Airbus posted earnings before interest and taxes of almost €1.4 billion in 2002, down roughly 15%, for an Ebit margin of around 7%.
1961—2003(Hide quotations)
Draft additions June 2006
EBITDA n. (also ebitda) Finance earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization.
1988 Daily News Record 11 Mar. 11/2
EBITDA at Macy's is projected at 15.5 percent of sales.
2003 D. L. Scott Wall St. Words
(ed. 3)
120
Critics contend EBITDA can be a misleading financial tool, in part because companies have wide discretion in determining the dollar amount of the components used in calculating EBITDA.
1988—2003(Hide quotations)
Draft additions March 2006
EBT n. orig. U.S. = electronic benefits transfer n. at electronic adj. Special uses.
1984 Food & Nutrition
(U.S. Dept. Agric.)
Oct. 8/1
Implementation will be swift if EBT proves to be cost effective and provides good service to food stamp clients.
1997 Economist
(Nexis)
25 Jan. 56
Northern Italy and three provinces in South Africa have already put EBT schemes in place for paying pensions.
1984—1997(Hide quotations)
Draft additions December 2007
ECM n. Mil. electronic countermeasures.
1952 Syracuse
(N.Y.)
Herald-Jrnl. 29 July 9/1
Electronic counter-measures (ECM) may have something to do with some of the recent radar sightings.
1999 T. Harnden Bandit Country
(2000)
ix. 331
French's men were not carrying ECM equipment, which could have jammed the radio signal.
1952—1999(Hide quotations)
Draft additions October 2001
1977 Chilton's Distrib. Worldwide Feb. 51/1
His company has completed programming for EDI and is now prepared to offer interchange of transportation information with DuPont..and other customers as soon as they are ready to accept data.
1995 Computer Weekly 6 Apr. 63/6
Even though public bodies are encouraging the use of EDI to transmit information, it is not certain whether a court would accept such an electronic message as evidence.
2000 Econ. Affairs 20 53/3
The average number of staff in the office is 1.5 who, with the aid of a microcomputer, PC, fax and EDI, process telephone calls, write and file correspondence, [etc.].
1977—2000(Hide quotations)
Draft additions December 2003
1990 Financial Times 20 Dec. 2/2
Ministers from 19 European countries yesterday said they would finish negotiating the European Economic Area (EEA) by the middle of next year, so that common rules on free movement of capital, labour, goods and services would be in place by the start of 1993.
1998 I. Hunter Which? Guide to Employment xiii. 235
Form E111..entitles you to free or reduced-cost treatment in EEA member states.
1990—1998(Hide quotations)
Draft additions January 2005
EMT n. U.S. emergency medical technician.
1972 Times Recorder
(Zanesville, Ohio)
9 Apr. 5 c/7
A nationwide campaign is under way to train ambulance attendants, upgrading them to the status of EMT—which stands for emergency medical technician.
2001 Time 1 Oct. 13/1
Federal money [was] given to each family of..a fire fighter or EMT who died in the Trade Center collapse.
1972—2001(Hide quotations)
Draft additions December 2002
EQ n. Psychol. (now rare) = educational quotient n. (a) at educational adj. Special uses; cf. I.Q. n. at I n.1 Initialisms.
1920 R. Franzen in Teachers Coll. Rec. 21 436
The ratio of E.Q. to I.Q. gives the percentage of what that child could do, that he has actually done.
1950 H. Gulliksen Theory Mental Tests xix. 291
The grade placement indicated by the test score was called Educational Age; and the Educational Age was divided by chronological age to obtain an educational quotient or E.Q.
1991 Sunday Tel.
(Nexis)
15 Sept.
The charter will give information on the average IQ of children in a school and their EQ.
1920—1991(Hide quotations)
Draft additions December 2002
EQ n. [initialism < emotional quotient, after I.Q. n. at I n.1 Initialisms] chiefly Psychol. = emotional intelligence quotient n. at emotional intelligence n. Compounds.
1941 N.Y. Times 28 Sept. x. 3/2
The thing they miscalculate is the emotional quotient—the e.q.—of an audience.
1995 Denver Post
(Nexis)
6 Sept. f1
Unlike IQ, which can't be altered, you can learn to develop a high EQ.
2001 Ottawa Citizen
(Nexis)
4 July c12
EQ is not just about being nice. People with high EQ are able to challenge and confront but they do it in a manner that doesn't shut the other person down.
1941—2001(Hide quotations)
Draft additions June 2007
EKG n. [ < German EKG, initialism < Elektrokardiogramm] Med. = E.C.G. n. at Initialisms.
1912 Lancet 30 Mar. 853/2
The instrument is rapid and at the same time sensitive enough for recording EKG.'s with sufficient accuracy.
1962 Amer. Heart Jrnl. 104 888/2
EKGs and roentgenograms of the chest were not revealing.
1998 R. Price Freedomland i. i. 21
The dispatcher's call-out was as flat as a dead man's EKG.
1912—1998(Hide quotations)
Draft additions December 2002
1970 H. J. Jerison in Science 11 Dec. 1225/2
The range of EQ in archaic ungulates was between 0.1 and 0.4.
1996 A. Walker & P. Shipman Wisdom of Bones x. 174
We would see an abrupt increase in EQ from Australopithecus to Homo habilis, then an apparent leveling off as both brain and body size increased together as habilis evolved into erectus.
1970—1996(Hide quotations)
Draft additions September 2006
ESN n. Telecomm. electronic serial number, a unique number programmed into a mobile phone (in some non-GSM networks) by its manufacturer, comprising information that identifies it to the network when calls are made and received.
1987 Cellular Phone Fraud Busts in N.Y. in mod.telecom
(Usenet newsgroup)
27 Mar.
The mobile carriers make a computer check of the E.S.N. to see if it is valid. If it is, the call goes through and the cost is billed to the billing number provided by the M.I.N. chip.
1994 New Scientist 3 Dec. 52/1
Re-chipping a phone is easy because the ESN is stored in erasable memory chips, instead of write once (WORM) chips.
2004 Econ. Times
(Nexis)
14 Oct.
If you have a CDMA mobile phone, make sure that you know of an individual identification number, the ESN which is found on the back of the CDMA handset under the battery. It usually has eight digits, combining letters and numbers.
1987—2004(Hide quotations)
Draft additions June 2001
EU n. = European Union at European adj. 5b.
1990 Toronto Star
(Nexis)
27 June a29
A few years back..what used to be known as the EEC—European Economic Community—came to be known generally by the broader and more ambitious title of EC, or European Community. If EU, or European Union, now passes into everyday usage, Europe would be within reach of the goal of a ‘federation’.
1993 Guardian 9 Nov. 9/1
All ministerial business—ranging from the plight of Bosnia to the permitted additives of sausages in the internal market—will be conducted in future by EU councils of ministers.
2000 Daily Tel. 3 Mar. 19/8
Both the European Commission and the EU's Portuguese presidency are pushing for a far-reaching charter.
1990—2000(Hide quotations)
Draft additions June 2016
1983 T. Todd tr. G. Arentewicz & G. Schmidt Treatm. of Sexual Disorders iv. 103
List of Abbreviations Used in Tables..ED erectile dysfunction.
1998 Field & Stream Aug. 27
(advt.)
If you believe you are suffering from E.D., or want to know more about the condition, talk to your doctor or other healthcare professional.
2004 Daily Tel. 10 Feb. 18/2
Many men do not know..that smoking doubles their risk of ED.
1983—2004(Hide quotations)